29th Jun 2020 13:25
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SINGAPORE, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE OR SOLICITATION TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE SHARES IN K3 CAPITAL GROUP PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF REGULATION (EU) NO 596/2014 ("MAR"). UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
K3 CAPITAL GROUP PLC
("K3", the "Company" and including its subsidiaries, the "Group")
Result of Fundraising
K3 Capital Group plc, a leading business and company sales specialist in the UK, is pleased to announce the successful completion of the fundraising announced at 7.00a.m. today (the "Fundraising Announcement").
A total of £30.45 million (before expenses) has conditionally been raised (the "Fundraising") at a price of 150 pence per New Ordinary Share, of which:
· £6.95 million was raised by means of the Vendor Placing;
· £23.02 million was raised by means of a Company Placing;
· £0.03 million as raised by means of the Subscription; and
· £0.45 million pursuant to PrimaryBid Offers.
First Admission and Total Voting Rights
The allotment of 4,633,891 Vendor Placing Shares, 1,544,630 Initial Consideration Shares not subject to the Vendor Placing and 20,000 New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Subscription (together, the "First Admission Shares") is conditional upon (amongst other things) the Acquisition having been completed, First Admission becoming effective and is being carried out pursuant to existing authorities and powers to allot shares. It is expected that the First Admission Shares will be admitted to trading on AIM at 8.00 a.m. on or around 1 July 2020 (or such later date and/or time as finnCap Ltd ("finnCap")and the Company may agree, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 15 July 2020).
Following First Admission, the total number of Ordinary Shares in issue will be 48,409,047. This figure may be used by Shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
Second Admission and Total Voting Rights
The allotment of 15,346,109 Company Placing Shares and 301,232 New Ordinary Shares issued under the PrimaryBid Offers (together "Second Admission Shares") is conditional upon (amongst other things) the Placing Agreement not having been terminated, First Admission becoming effective, the passing of the relevant resolution(s) at the general meeting of the Company (notice of which will be included in a circular to Shareholders expected to be despatched on or around 30 June 2020 (the "Circular")) and Second Admission becoming effective on or before 8.00 a.m. on 20 July 2020 (or such later date and/or time as finnCap and the Company may agree, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 3 August 2020).
Following Second Admission, the total number of Ordinary Shares in issue will be 64,056,388. This figure may be used by Shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
Related Party Transactions
Premier Miton, a substantial shareholder in the Company as defined in the AIM Rules for Companies (and therefore a related party of the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules for Companies) has subscribed for 3,360,548 Company Placing Shares at the Placing Price, in addition to 1,081,449 Vendor Placing Shares at the Placing Price. The Company's independent directors consider, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, finnCap, that the terms upon which Premier Miton is participating in the Vendor Placing is fair and reasonable insofar as the Company's shareholders are concerned.
Posting of Circular
The Company intends to publish a Circular on or around 30 June 2020. It will also contain a notice of general meeting as the issue of the Second Admission Shares is conditional, inter alia, on shareholder approval. The Circular will be sent to shareholders together with a proxy form. The Circular will also be available on the Company's website at www.k3capitalgroupplc.com
John Rigby, K3's CEO, commented,
"I am delighted to report that the placing has received strong support from both institutional and retail investors. I would like to thank our existing investors and welcome new shareholders to K3. I am also pleased by the Board participation in the fundraising, demonstrating our Directors' robust belief in the growth strategy and potential of the Group.
This substantial fundraising allows us to make the acquisition of randd, but the fundraise also significantly strengthens our balance sheet and puts us in a strong position to make further acquisitions of complementary professional services businesses, of which we have identified a number of potential targets which we consider very attractive."
This Announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of MAR. Upon the publication of this Announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
Capitalised terms used in this announcement and not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Fundraising Announcement.
For further information, please contact:
K3 Capital Group plc | Tel: c/o finnCap 020 7220 0500 |
John Rigby, Chief Executive Officer | www.k3capitalgroupplc.com |
Andrew Melbourne, Chief Financial Officer | |
finnCap Ltd (Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker) | Tel: 020 7220 0500 |
Jonny Franklin-Adams, Emily Watts, Charlie Beeson (Corporate Finance) | |
Tim Redfern, Richard Chambers (Corporate Broking) |
About K3 Capital
K3 Capital Group plc is a leading business sales and brokerage firm headquartered in Bolton with operations throughout the UK. It acts for vendors of businesses across a wide range of enterprise values through its three trading subsidiaries Knightsbridge, KBS Corporate, and KBS Corporate Finance. K3, through its trading subsidiaries, has received a number of adviser awards, most recently achieving the number 1 position in the 2019 Refinitiv Mid-Market M&A Review.
K3 Capital operates a disruptive business model with a direct marketing approach to client acquisition, using incentivised and experienced salespeople rather than advisory teams, while its highly visible online presence and proprietary online business valuation portal generates further leads. This innovative model, combined with a continuing strategy towards targeting higher value clients, are key drivers for growth and profitability.
The Group also offers all clients fully contingent and/or inclusive legal fees through its partner relationships with local and national law firms.
K3 Capital Group trades on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: K3C.L), having listed on 11 April 2017. Please visit www.k3capitalgroupplc.com for more information.
Important notice
This Announcement has been prepared in accordance with English law, the AIM Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside England.
Persons (including without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
This Announcement has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made by finnCap or by any of its affiliates or agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to any interested person or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. None of the information in this Announcement has been independently verified or approved by finnCap or any of its respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates. Save for any responsibilities or liabilities, if any, imposed on finnCap by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA") or by the regulator regime established under it, no responsibility or liability is accepted by either finnCap or any of their respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in such information or opinions or for any loss, cost or damage suffered or incurred howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this Announcement or its contents or otherwise in connection with this Announcement or from any acts or omissions of the Company in relation to the Fundraising.
The distribution of this Announcement in jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this Announcement comes should inform themselves about, and observe such restrictions. Any failure to comply with the restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities law of any such jurisdiction.
There is no intention to register any portion of the Placing Shares or the Subscription Shares in the United States or to conduct any public offering of securities in the United States or elsewhere. All offers of Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended from time to time, including by Directive 2010/73/EC to the extent implemented in the relevant member state and includes any relevant implementing directive measure in any member state (the "Prospectus Directive") from the requirement to produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being distributed to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply.
Members of the public are not eligible to take part in the Fundraising. This Announcement and the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix are for information purposes only and are directed only at: (a) persons in Member States of the Economic European Area who are qualified investors within the meaning of article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive ("Qualified Investors"); and (b) in the United Kingdom, Qualified Investors who are persons who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within the definition of "investments professional" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"); (ii) are persons falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc") of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated; (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This Announcement and the Appendix must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons.
This Announcement is not for release, publication, distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions and any state or other jurisdiction of the United States). This Announcement does not constitute or form a part of any offer to sell or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States or in any other jurisdictions. The securities referred to in this Announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or the securities laws of any state of the United States or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred or delivered within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.
Cautionary Statements
This Announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "envisages", "plans", "anticipates", "targets", "aims", "continues", "expects", "intends", "hopes", "may", "will", "would", "could" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include matters that are not facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances. A number of factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: a condition to the Fundraising (or any part of it)not being satisfied, expected cost savings not being realised, changing demands of consumers, changing business or other market conditions, and general economic conditions. These and other factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described in this Announcement. Forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement based on past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Subject to any requirement under the AIM Rules, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules or other applicable legislation or regulation, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Announcement.
This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Placing Shares. Any investment decision to buy Placing Shares in the Placing must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information, which has not been independently verified by finnCap.
The New Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Fundraising will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange plc.
Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this Announcement.
finnCap
finnCap, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), is appointed as the Company's nominated adviser and Bookrunner only and is therefore (without prejudice to its obligations to the sellers under the Placing Agreement) acting only for the Company in connection with the matters described in this Announcement and is not acting for or advising any other person, or treating any other person as its client, in relation thereto and will not be responsible for providing the regulatory protection afforded to clients of finnCap or advice to any other person in relation to the matters contained herein. Neither finnCap nor any of its directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for this Announcement, its contents or otherwise in connection with it or any other information relating to the Company, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic format.
Information for Distributors
Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/ 65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any manufacturer (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares being the subject of the Placing have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, finnCap will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares.
Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.
Related Shares:
K3C.L